In Classification and Determination of Constitution in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the China Association of Chinese Medicine classifies body constitutions of the human body into nine types, including yin-yang harmony constitution, yang deficiency constitution, yin deficiency constitution, qi deficiency constitution, phlegm-dampness constitution, damp-heat constitution, qi depression constitution, blood stasis constitution, and allergic constitution, most of which belong to sub-healthy states.
The qi depression constitution is a constitution state formed due to long-term poor mood and qi-movement stagnation, with the main manifestation of introverted and unstable personality, depression and fragility, and being sensitive and suspicious. Such constitution state is common in the young and middle-aged, female predominated, mostly being solitary and introverted in personality, prone to be sentimental, and narrow minded. The diseases of people with the qi depression constitution mainly come on the liver, together with the heart, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine. It will easily result in damages to the emotion and diet, unsmooth qi-movement, such as depression disease, insomnia, globus hysteriocus, and panic. It is found in modern researches that such constitution tends to develop tumors. The regulation and treatment should be regulating the emotion and dredging the qi-movement.
Such sub-healthy constitution as qi depression constitution generally belongs to depression constitution. People with the qi depression constitution should pay attention to mentality regulation, mind regulation, and nature cultivation in daily life, maintaining good psychological balance, and doing more physical exercises. Since the qi depression occurs first, and stasis is the basis, dredging the qi-movement is the treatment principle. The drug forms commonly used in the traditional Chinese medicine are decoctions and Chinese patent medicine such as pills and the like. Decoctions usually have relatively good efficacy, but the administration thereof is complicated, and the taste thereof is poor. If the decoctions need to be prepared for a long time, it is difficult for a patient to keep taking the decoctions. Moreover, the efficacy of the pills is relatively poor.
It is mentioned in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor that “the superior physician prevents illness, the mediocre physician attends to impending illness, and the inferior physician treats actual illness”, wherein the phrase “prevent illness” means taking corresponding measures to prevent the occurrence and development of diseases. The body constitution determines the health of people and susceptibility to diseases. It is believed in the traditional Chinese medicine that since the human beings live in the natural world, physiological functions of the human body usually change with seasons, that is, “correspondence between man and nature”. Winter is the season when the human body “stores energies”, thus appropriate nourishment can enhance the constitution, ward off diseases and strengthen the body, and prolong life, that is, conditioning in winter or nourishing in winter commonly mentioned in the traditional Chinese medicine. For the sub-healthy population with qi depression constitution, a solid oral paste with a higher drug concentration and good taste, and being convenient to carry more meets requirements of modern people.